Ground Zero
by GrissomCastleLuvr
Summary: Nevaeh Hendrix is on the run. Desperate to rid herself of her old life, she goes to the only place that there is left to go: Los Santos. There, she changes her name with hopes to start anew; however, she soon realizes that things never quite turn out the way we want to.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fic that I have started here on Fanfiction even though I have been a member here for a_ long_ time. I have read over a thousand fanfics ranging from any genre, so I'm hoping that maybe I can apply some skills that I have learned from reading into my writing. I hope you guys enjoy my first fic.**

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Nevaeh Hendrix waited outside the Los Santos International Airport with what seemed to be a divine patience; well, as divine as one's patience can get when travelling for eight hours between two different planes.

The 32-year-old breathed in the hot Los Santos air with a deep sigh. It might have been 4 o'clock in the afternoon, but the sun was still beating down on her tanned skin.

'_It could be worse_,' she thought, '_you could be dead in a ditch somewhere in fucking Carcer City_.'

Nevaeh's crystal blue eyes searched the road ahead of her looking for her pick-up. "Where the fuck is Glenn? I never should have called him," she muttered.

Glenn Morrison was her younger cousin twice removed off of her grandfather's side, and apparently, unreliable as hell. Just as she was about to pull out her phone to call a taxi, a lime green Dewbauchee Exemplar pulled up to the side of the curb.

"Hey cuz, climb on in!" Glenn shouted from the rolled down window of the vehicle. Nevaeh rolled her eyes and picked up the black duffel bag that was resting besides her right foot.

As she climbed in the passenger seat she said, "Nice to see your taste in style hasn't changed at all…_cuz_."

And from looking at the car to the driver himself, she knew it really hadn't.

The 28-year-old's hair was in messy gelled up spikes and he wore a red-orange Hawaiian printed shirt with blue skinny jeans. On his left arm he had a Chinese dragon tattoo and on other he had what looked to be Navajo style beads.

Glenn just laughed off her comment, his cocoa brown eyes twinkling in the late afternoon sunlight. "So how was your trip from the double C?"

Nevaeh whipped her head around to glare at him, her long black locks spilling over her shoulders. "Fine," she stated. She turned her head back towards the road ahead of her.

"Where are we headed?"

"Well, we're going back to my place in Vespucci Beach to crash for the night. Tomorrow, we'll go check on my buddy that I was telling you about; he should have everything set up by then."

Nevaeh simply sighed, leaned her head back on the seat, and closed her eyes.

'_Welcome to fucking Los Santos_,' she thought bitterly.

* * *

**For some who haven't noticed, the word _cuz _is just my shortened way of saying cousin.**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, I hope that you guys enjoyed the first chapter of my little fic here. Now I know that this story may seem like it may go a little slow, but don't worry it'll pick up quickly. I can promise you that. Don't hesitate to let me know what you guys think.**

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Nevaeh's eyes opened immediately as the Exemplar came to a full stop. Glenn turned to look at his cousin, "Home sweet home," he smiled.

Nevaeh gingerly climbed out of the car and picked up her black duffel bag that was perched on the back seat. Her crystal eyes scanned the building in front of her; it was a two-story pale yellow beach house with a few touches of a brick layering. Attached to the side of it was a three-car garage.

"_Nice_," she praised. It was house definitely suited for her cousin.

Glenn proudly beamed, "Wait until you see the inside."

Nevaeh slung her duffel over her shoulder as her cousin led her up the brick steps into his home.

"Wow…" she breathed. The house was elegant; the floors were a rich, polished mahogany, the walls were painted a dull maroon color, the furniture was laid out like a designer had planned it; there was a black L-shaped leather couch sitting against the far wall diagonal to the flat screen TV, the recliner was opposite of the couch, and there was a coffee table resting on a starch white rug in front of them. In addition, there were a few abstract paintings on the walls along with a couple of bookshelves. To her right she could see a wrought iron spiral staircase that led to the second floor.

"C'mon cuz, your room is up stairs. You can take a tour of the house later, if you'd like," Glenn motioned for her to follow him.

"Glenn, how can you afford all of this?" Nevaeh inquired.

She watched her cousin shrug his shoulders, "A friend of mine taught me about the stock market a while back. I…uh…ended up make a few _wise_ investments."

Once they reached the top of the staircase, Glenn led her down the hallway to the second door on the right. He opened the thick wooden door, "This is your room, cuz."

Instead of the floor being made out of mahogany, she noticed that it was thick, fluffy white carpeting. The queen size bed was a baby blue color: baby blue silk sheets and a matching pillow set to follow. Wooden night stands were on each side of the bed. On the wall in front of the bed was another flat screen TV. To her left was the door that led to the bathroom and on the right was a door that led to the step-in closet. She also noticed that there was a pair of French doors that led to the balcony.

'_Spacious_' was the word that came to mind.

"So, whatcha think?" Glenn asked.

Nevaeh just gave him a nod of her approval. Glenn glanced at his cousin one last time before he left the room, closing the door behind him on his way out.

Later that night, after unpacking her duffel, as Nevaeh was falling to sleep, she thought, '_Maybe, I can start fresh here and finally go legit_ _for once….Maybe_.'

* * *

**:) We all know that going "legit" is going to be impossible, especially when Nevaeh meets our three protagonists. Just a heads up, the next chapter is where Nevaeh changes her name. As the story progresses, you'll find out why she is "on the run."**


	3. Chapter 3

The sun's rays poked through the glass of the French doors to Nevaeh's room. Nevaeh opened her bleary eyes as the sun continued to shine on her face. She rolled over to her left and grabbed the iFruit phone from the night stand. Checking the clock on the phone's screen, she found out it was 8 o'clock.

'_My god, 8 fucking a.m. Fuck me_,' she thought with spite. She rose tiredly from the bed and made her way to the bathroom.

After taking a quick shower, she grabbed the towel off the rack and wrapped it around her curvaceous body. She grabbed a brush from the drawer under the sink and began to brush her tangled locks. As she was doing this, she was also giving herself a brief once-over in the mirror located above the sink.

She had a petite, heart-shaped face with a pointed chin and almond-shaped eyes. Her eyebrows were thin and well managed while her eyelashes were long and full. She had high cheeks and a small pointed nose. Her lips were full and pouty looking. What stood out the most on her delicate features was the scar over her right eye. It was half an inch long, but it was rough looking-like it hadn't healed properly; it was slanted in a diagonal angle, cutting through her eyebrow.

Nevaeh stepped away from the mirror once she finished with her hair, and made a beeline from the bathroom to the closet. She selected a grey button-down shirt with rolled up sleeves, faded blue jeans, and a pair of silver strapped sandals.

After getting dressed, she decided it was time to head downstairs. Quickly, she went over to the nightstand where she left her phone and wallet. Once she pocketed these items, she made her way to the door. As she opened the door, she found herself face to face with Glenn.

"Glad to see that you're ready." Glenn remarked.

"Uh huh…let's just get going, okay? We'll stop for breakfast on the way."

* * *

"Burger Shot, really?" Nevaeh asked for the umpteenth time, disbelief written on her face.

"Hey, it's the only place around here to get a quick meal for breakfast, cuz." Glenn said as the drive thru attendant handed him a paper bag with his and Nevaeh's orders. Handing the bag to Nevaeh, Glenn quickly got his lime green monstrosity back on the main road.

"So, where does this friend of yours live?" Nevaeh asked while plucking a fry out of the bag.

"La Puerta," Glenn glanced at Nevaeh out of his peripheral, "Look, Nevaeh, you and I hadn't really talked until you called me about your "_situation_," and even then, you still hadn't given me any details except that you need a new ID. What's going on, cuz?"

Nevaeh whipped her head around so quick that he would've thought that she would have snapped her neck in the process. Nevaeh's eyes were squinted and her nostrils were flaring.

'_Oh boy, she's pissed_,' Glenn not-so-intelligently deduced.

"That's none of your damn business, Glenn. All you need to know is what I've already told you: I got in trouble with some pissed off motherfuckers. That's it."

Glenn chewed the inside of his cheek to refrain himself from making any other comments.

The remainder of the car ride was filled with an awkward silence except for the occasional munching of the fries or the unwrapping of the Bleeder Burgers.

* * *

Glenn turned the car left into a residential neighborhood and stopped in front of a small, fading white ranch-style home. Nevaeh and Glenn both exited the vehicle and begin walking towards the deteriorating wooden steps.

"What's your friend's name?"

"Teo," Glenn answered as he knocked on the old beaten door.

The door opened to a Hispanic, gruff looking man with a black tank-top and shorts. He had tribal tattoos on both of his arms and a goatee that was, surprisingly, neatly trimmed.

The man looked at Glenn and smiled, "How's it going, bro?"

"Good. Teo, this is my cousin that I was telling you about; you know, the one who's in trouble."

Teo looked over at Nevaeh is black beady eyes boring into her crystal blue ones.

"This sweet looking thing?" Teo asked incredulously, his eyes sweeping between Glenn and Nevaeh.

"Yes." Glenn said with all seriousness.

Teo lifted an eyebrow in shock. He then stepped back from the door and made a sweeping motion with his arm permitting them access to his home. Teo then led them through the living room to a long narrow hallway on the other end of his house. Once at the end of the hallway, he opened the door for Nevaeh and Glenn to enter his "_Workshop_."

"Damn," Nevaeh said, taking in the high tech equipment that was in front of her; there was a computer hooked to an ID card printer and a laminator right beside it. On the far wall of the room were multiple TV's displaying footage from security and traffic cameras. Adjacent to that wall was an alcove full of computers hooked together displaying thousands of letters and numbers. Glenn, however, didn't seem to be phased.

"Teo's the best in the business, cuz. Don't let the rundown look of his home fool you."

"So," Teo motioned, "ready to become someone else Miss Hendrix?"

"Definitely."

Teo motioned her to follow him to the computer hooked to the card printer. He then grabbed her shoulders to sit her in the chair in front of the computer. He sat in the chair next to hers.

"May I have your ID?" he asked.

Nevaeh took her wallet out and handed the ID to Teo. Teo took her ID and scanned it into the computer. A digital image of her ID popped up onto the screen.

"So, here's how this works," Teo began, "all you need to do is give me the name you want to go under, and your address. I'll take care of the rest."

"What do you mean?" Nevaeh questioned.

Teo gave Nevaeh a smile, "I mean that I will be changing your ID number, creating a new social security number for your new identity, and entering that information-with anything else you want-into the System."

Nevaeh just lifted an eyebrow in response. She then looked towards Glenn who nodded his head as to confirm what Teo said.

She turned her head back to Teo, "I'll be living with Glenn, so you can enter his address-" Teo immediately begin clicking away on the keyboard, "-and the name I want to use is Orianna Logan."

Nevaeh and Glenn waited for thirty minutes until Teo was completely done with everything else; changing the ID number, printing the card, and laminating it.

"Here you go. One new,_ clean_ identity guaranteed to give you a _clean slate_." Teo announced. "Don't worry; I'll enter all of the information into the System as soon as you guys are gone, that way, everything checks out officially."

Nevaeh took the ID from Teo and liked what she saw.

"Okay, thanks Teo." Glenn said shaking the man's hand. "I'll pay you back later, bro," he added as an afterthought.

"Damn straight." Teo agreed.

"Alright, cuz, let's go." Glenn said as he led Nevaeh out of the house.

As they got back into Glenn's Exemplar, he asked, "So?"

Nevaeh looked at him, "So…new name, new city, new life. Drive on, _cuz_."

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**If you guys have made it this far, then thanks for reading. I hope that you have enjoyed the first two chapters, and I hope that you like this one as well. Don't hesitate to comment and tell me what you think.**


	4. Chapter 4

**If you made it this far, thank you for reading and I hope that you've enjoyed the previous chapters. Now, I know this chapter is actually pretty short, but it actually does two things for me; first, this is the very first time that Nevaeh's name is now addressed as Orianna, and second, it actually demonstrates that she has a quick temper. **

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**2 Weeks Later**

Orianna Logan calmly took a deep drag from her cigarette. She was wearing a blue tank-top and tan cargo pants with a black belt and boots; her eyes were covered by black Aviator glasses. Leaning against her recently purchased all black Bravado Gauntlet, she exhaled the smoke with a sigh. She'll never forget how Glenn just _gave_ her the Gauntlet a week ago.

_"Are you serious? You're giving me a car, just like that?" Orianna questioned Glenn once the initial shock of being surprised with the Bravado Gauntlet wore off._

_"Just like that," he confirmed, "this ride," motioning towards the vehicle sitting in his driveway, "is yours."_

_Orianna narrowed her eyes, "What's the catch?"_

_Glenn shook his head, "No catch, cuz."_

_He looked at her face which was still scrunched up with disbelief, "Look, I how hard it is to move to a new place and have nothing, okay? I also know how hard it is to get a job in this economy. So chill, cuz, alright? This is me being nice and giving you a gift-"Orianna smiled brightly at this, "-Besides, I'm getting tired of driving your ass around all the time."_

_The next thing that Glenn felt was his cousin giving him a right hook to the arm. He chuckled while she muttered "asshole."_

Snapping out of her memory, she looked at her phone's clock: **12:05 PM**.

"Time to work," she muttered while flicking the cigarette butt to the ground.

Hopping in the driver's seat of the Gauntlet, she sped off towards the Los Santos Customs located near the airport. She had started working there a few days ago after she asked Glenn where she could find a legitimate place to work. "Talk to a guy name Hao," Glenn had told her. After meeting with Hao, she had been working there ever since.

Turning the last corner, she made her way into the parking lot in front of the auto shop. Once she parked her vehicle, she made her way into the garage.

"Hey, Hao," she greeted the thin, yet well-muscled, Asian man.

"Hey, Ori. Ready to work?"

A spark ignited within Orianna's eyes, "You know it."

* * *

**7:45 PM**

After getting off of her shift, Orianna decided she needed a drink, which is how she ended up parking the Bravado Gauntlet outside of Bahama Mamas bar/nightclub.

Upon exiting the vehicle, she could see a crowd hanging outside of the club. As she was making her way towards the entrance, she brushed against a Hispanic girl who was having a conversation with her friend.

"Hey bitch, watch where you're going!" The girl had yelled.

Orianna immediately stopped moving; she could feel her anger begin to stir. Clenching her fists, she turned around to face the girl.

"Excuse me?" Orianna asked.

"You heard me, bitch."

"Call me that one more time," she dared the girl, "and see what happens."

The girl looked to her friend and back to Orianna. She smiled, "Bitch."

Suddenly, Orianna's fist slammed into the girl's face, knocking the girl to the ground-unconscious. "Bitch!" she screamed throwing her hands into the air, "Everybody...Bitches!"

Orianna, losing the mood for a drink, got back into her Gauntlet and sped off. The crowd was left to stare in her direction.

'_God, I hate this city_,' Orianna thought with rage as she was speeding down the highway, '_Fuck. Los. Santos._ _Fuck it!_'

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**In this chapter I actually made a reference to a something that Trevor did and said in the game (with maybe a small change in dialogue). It's a very obscure reference, nevertheless, did you notice it? Oh, and from this point on I will be calling my character Orianna from now on until key moments within the story. Don't hesitate to leave a review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Like always, if you made it this far, thanks for reading. Remember how I said that the story will quickly speed up? Well, I kept my promise. I give to you, how Michael and Orianna first met. Just so you all know, my favorite character within the GTA series, is of course, Michael Townley aka Michael De Santa. I hope you guys like this chapter and all of the other ones as well. Please don't hesitate to leave a review.**

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**Later that night**

'_What a loon_,' was Michael De Santa's thought about his psychopathic best friend, Trevor, and his latest antics: robbing Merryweather of a massive super weapon. Well, almost, since Lester made him put it back amongst the wreckage of the freighter they had destroyed.

As he was making his way through South Los Santos, he saw a man and a woman in a heated argument with each other outside of a 24/7 Supermarket. Usually, he wouldn't have stopped his car for such a mundane scene; however, something about their body language told him that this was about to get really ugly really fast.

Deciding to be a good guy for once, he pulled his red Premier over to the curb off the side of the 24/7. Just as he was about to get out of his car, he saw the man raise his hand and backhand the woman across the face. Quickly exiting the vehicle, he rushed towards them, prepared to fight the guy; however, what he didn't expect was the woman raising her own fist and delivering a devastating blow to the man's face. He watched in shock as the man crumpled to the ground in agony just at the same time the woman began to stomp on him. He then noticed the blood seeping out of the man's head.

Immediately, he came up to the woman and pulled her away from the man.

"Whoa… Hey, hey, hey, calm down, lady!" Michael yelled at the very pissed off woman, whom he was struggling to gain control of.

"Let me go!" Orianna grounded out, fighting against Michael's strong arms.

Suddenly, somewhere off in the distance, Michael and Orianna heard a man shout, "Somebody, call the Police! Those two just beat up that guy over there!"

"Ah, Christ," Michael grunted. Grabbing hold of the woman's forearm and directing her towards his car he said, "C'mon lady, we're getting out of here."

"Uh…yea…Let's not stick around." Orianna hurriedly agreed.

Once they were both in the Premier, Michael headed left and sped on the road towards Downtown, avoiding the blaring sirens coming from the opposite direction.

* * *

"Fuck!" Orianna exclaimed, "I just left my car back there!"

"Yeah, well, if you hadn't beaten that guy the way you did, maybe we wouldn't be in this situation." Michael said as he swerved by the car next to him, recklessly.

Orianna turned her head, ready to cuss out the man beside her; however, she then noticed the way he looked. He wore a blue-grey suit with a black button down shirt. He had raven-black hair, striking green eyes, and a strong jaw; he was also clean shaven and in all honesty, not that bad looking…..for an older guy. She also noticed the wedding band on his finger.

"Hey, it's not my fault-"

"Not your fault?" Michael cut her off, "Lady, it's completely your fault! If you hadn't lost your temper and had some fucking sense, I wouldn't be trying to keep our asses out of jail! Fuck!"

"Okay, okay" Orianna agreed, trying to calm the agitated man down before he had a heart attack, "Maybe, you're right-"

"Maybe?" Michael cut her off, again.

Orianna narrowed her gaze, "Fine. You're right; but you know, it's not like I ever asked for, or needed, your help anyways."

"You're abso-fucking-lutely right, you didn't. However, I'm tempted to argue that, without me, you would be in fucking jail! The least you could do is say "Thank you," instead of being a complete bitch about it."

"Thank you, Mister Whatever-the-fuck-your-name-is." Orianna strangled out with rage.

"You're fucking welcome." Michael said with his own anger hissing through his teeth. This woman had gotten him so riled up that his blood was pounding through his veins and his knuckles had turned completely white from the death grip he had on the wheel.

Michael then turned a hard left, heading through Little Seoul.

After ten minutes of strained silence passed between the two, Orianna felt that she had calmed down enough to talk to the man again.

"Look," she started, "I'm sorry for the way I acted, and for almost getting you and I arrested, okay? All I wanted to do was get a pack of Redwoods until that creep showed up thinking that I was a prostitute. To be fair, I was already pissed from earlier when a disrespectful cunt called me a "Bitch." In all honesty, I'm grateful for you helping me out even though you didn't have to." She finished.

Michael let out a deep sigh, "Apology accepted." He then glanced at his passenger to see her shake her head and tuck a strand of wavy, jet-black hair behind her ear. That's when he noticed how gorgeous she was; she had tanned skin, a heart-shaped face with the most incredible blue eyes he had ever seen, and pouty, kissable lips.

'_Kissable? The fuck is wrong with you, M?_' he internally berated himself.

Orianna felt his gaze on her, it made her feel uncomfortable along with a feeling she couldn't place.

"So, where're you taking me?"

"Uh…I was just gonna head back to my place." Michael answered, suddenly realizing how stupid that sounded.

"No offense, I'm sure you're a nice guy and all, but no thanks. I don't even know your name," she rambled on, "and I'm pretty sure your wife would be beyond pissed; I'm no home wrecker."

"Michael," he answered.

"Huh?"

"My name's Michael. Michael De Santa."

Orianna blinked and said, "My name's Orianna….Logan."

Michael chuckled and then continued, "You don't have to worry about being a "_home wrecker_," my wife left me…and so did my kids." He added as an afterthought.

"I'm sorry to hear about that Michael, but my answer is still no." Looking out her window she pointed to a bus stop that was just ahead, "Look, just drop me off at this bus stop, and I'll call a taxi."

Michael glanced at Orianna, "You sure?"

Shaking her head in confirmation, she said, "Yeah."

Michael slowly pulled his Premier up to the deserted bus stop.

Orianna chewed on her bottom lip, making a quick decision.

"Give me your phone." She said.

"Why?"

"Just give me your phone." She held out her hand, palm up, waiting for Michael to do as she asked. Michael handed her his phone, a perplexed look on his face.

Orianna begin typing away on the device while saying, "I'm going to give you my number and e-mail, so you can contact me if you want to hang out or if you need me for anything." Once she finished saving her information to his phone, she quickly pulled out her own and began putting his information in hers, explaining, "You seem like a dependable guy, so I'm adding you to my contacts in case I need you or something, okay?" Not waiting for a reply, she handed his phone back to him.

Smiling at him she said, "Thanks again for saving my ass, and for the lift."

Michael just shook his head in response and watched her climb out of his vehicle. He couldn't help himself as he watched her ass sway while she walked the short distance to the bench.

He pulled out of the bus stop as she pulled out her phone.

Orianna waited patiently for the person on the other line to answer. Hearing the voice on the other end crackle, she stated, "Yes, I need a taxi at the bus stop in Little Seoul…"

* * *

Turning the engine to his car off, Michael exited the vehicle and walked up the steps to his mansion. He opened the large doors and sighed.

"Just a big empty house." He muttered.

He quickly walked up the stairs to the second floor where his bedroom was located. Making his way inside the dark room, he flopped on the bed, exhausted to the bone.

The only thing he saw in his dream that night was a pair of stunning blue eyes.

* * *

**Originally, I had ended this chapter in a much different way, but I decided that I like this ending better. What do you all think?**


	6. Chapter 6

**I hope you guys have like all of my previous chapters. I know it's been a while since I've updated, so Thank You for being patient. Here is my next chapter, where, you'll learn a whole lot more about Nevaeh/Orianna. **

* * *

Michael was in his kitchen making himself a glass of whiskey. He walked over to the fridge intending to get some ice cubes when the alert tone on his phone went off. Heading towards the counter, he picked up the device and saw that he had a new message from non-other than Orianna.

_Just thought u should kno that I got my car back. Had to get it from the impound tho. lol ;)_

Michael grinned slightly while shaking his head. He then picked up his glass and finished making his drink.

* * *

"Wait here." Lester Crest instructed the taxi driver while handing him a twenty dollar bill. Wobbling slightly, even with his cane, he made his way over to the nondescript café. Scanning the area, he spotted a woman with silky raven-black hair. She had on gold aviator glasses, a red tank top with faded blue jeans, and brown boots; she also had a long gold chained necklace with matching bracelets covering both of her wrists. She was sitting at a small table reading the newspaper with a paper cup resting in front of her.

"Excuse me, miss." Lester said while hobbling over to the woman.

Orianna turned her head towards the nasally voice calling her. She saw a sickly looking man with a cane making his way to her. He had on glasses and was wearing a plaid shirt, sleeves rolled up, tucked into a pair of blue jeans.

Orianna got up and met the man halfway.

"Is there something that I can help you with?" she asked.

"Yes," Lester shifted his head as if he were perplexed by his surroundings, "Would you happen to know where I could find a library around here?"

"A _library_?" Orianna asked with amusement. She wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of the man before her. "A _library_ in _Los Santos?_"

"Yes…" Lester answered, pretending that he didn't know what she meant.

Orianna looked at the frail man and decided to take some pity on him.

"Look, buddy-"she began gesturing with her hands, "You're not gonna find a _library_ in _Los Santos_. You could try one of those shopping plazas, or something, to see if there is a bookstore, but I doubt there is one."

"Are you sure?" Lester asked, feigning to be disappointed by this news.

"Yes." Orianna emphasized by shaking her head.

Lester sighed and shook his own head. He paused for a brief moment, considering his next move, then locked his eyes with the woman before him and softly said, "Thank you, Nevaeh."

Orianna was about to say "You're welcome" when her mind registered what came out of the man's mouth.

"What did you just say?" she asked not really believing what she heard.

"I said," Lester repeated, "_Thank you, Nevaeh_."

Looking frantically around her and back at the ill-looking man, she asked, "How do you know my name?"

"I know everything about you, Nevaeh. Meet me at the Darnell Bros factory and I'll explain everything there." Lester began to wobble back to his taxi, "It's right off the Del Perro Freeway. You can't miss it." He added.

Orianna just stood there in shock as she watched the man climb into the waiting taxi.

* * *

'_Why the fuck is this happening to me now_?' She thought, '_Not even a month and I'm already fucked_.'

As Nevaeh climbed out of her Gauntlet, she looked at the old, abandoned building that stood in front of her. The sign on the roof did indeed read "_Darnell Bros_." If she had to take a guess, by the looks of things, she would say this place had to be a garment factory in its heyday.

Sliding her Aviators on her head, she cautiously made her way through the door of the building.

"Ah, good, you came." She heard the man say from the top of the stairs.

"No shit," she replied while climbing the steps two at a time, "Now you're gonna tell me how the _fuck_ you know who I am, and what the_ fuck_ you want with me." She growled out as she made it to the top of the stairway.

"First, let me introduce myself. My name is Lester Crest-"

Nevaeh held up her hand and cut him off, "I don't know if you noticed, but _I don't care_. I just want to know how the _fuck_ you know who I am."

Lester sighed, "Take a guess, Miss Hendrix. You don't just get a new identity, a new life, without someone like me noticing. While your friend may have been good enough to get around some people, he was not good enough to get around me."

Nevaeh crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the table behind her, "Fine. Now, you said earlier that you knew _everything _about me. What exactly does "_everything_" entail?"

Lester shifted on his cane and shrugged.

"I know that your mother and father both have a criminal history; the former being an art thief and the latter being a gun-for-hire. You were born in a small town on the outskirts of Carcer City and didn't move there until you were eleven. When you were fourteen you started your own gang and did small time robberies and B and E's. By the time you were twenty-one you became known for stealing and you even established yourself as a gun smuggler. Then, when you were twenty-three, you had your big break: you stole some jewelry from some rich snob's wife's safe and made a couple million. You did all of this and managed to graduate from college with a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice. About a year ago, though, you took on a job for Vincenzio Caparelli that ended with you killing his brother Rinaldo and right-hand man Marciano Fischetti, and robbing him blind of fifteen million dollars."

Nevaeh had her head hung low and was pinching the bridge of her nose by the time Lester had finished his little rendition of her entire life.

"Jesus Christ, you really do know everything." She muttered.

"Yes." Lester confirmed.

Nevaeh let out a breath and asked, "Are you planning to sell me out?"

"No."

Nevaeh face twisted into a puzzled expression, "What do you want then?"

Lester smiled, "A friend of mine has gotten a crew together and they have been doing some heists around Los Santos. I don't know if you're familiar with the Vangelico robbery, but that was one of them. I need your expertise for any other heists that may be pulled off in the future; maybe even have you do some jobs for me…..If that's okay with you?" He asked.

Nevaeh sighed and rubbed the back of her neck, "I don't know," she started gesturing with her hands, "I mean…I mean I am trying to keep a low profile and I don't think helping you and this crew out would benefit me," she sighed again and rubbed her forehead in frustration.

"If you don't mind me saying," Lester started, "You've already got your bases covered: your identity is hidden and no one knows about your new one except for me and those who were involved in helping you; which were your cousin and his friend. Those two are sure to keep their mouths shut. Plus, you moved far away from Carcer City, so I think you should be fine. Just as long as you don't do anything related to your prior M.O., Caparelli shouldn't be able to find you," he paused for a moment to let those facts sink into Nevaeh's mind, "Just give it some thought. Come back here if you're in; if not, then this conversation never existed." He finished.

Nevaeh just shook her head. She seriously doubted everything this Lester Crest had said even though he sounded like he could be right. Shoulders slumped; she silently walked down the stairs and out the door. She slipped her Aviators back over her eyes to shield them from the bright Los Santos sun.

Getting back into her Gauntlet the only thought running through her brain was, '_Fuck my life. Fuck it_.'

* * *

Instead of going to any bar or nightclub to get drunk, Orianna had decided to go to the Liquor Store. Walking out of the establishment with a six-pack in hand, she was just hoping that Glenn wasn't home so she could get drunk in peace.

"Hey, gurl." A baritone voice called from the darkness.

Turning her head, she spotted five men walking towards her; they all had purple jackets on. One of them whistled.

"Wooo…look at this _chica_, homies. Damn you _fine_, baby." Another said.

"First off, I'm not your _baby_. Second, I'm not a _chica _either, _homeboy_. So why don't you get some glasses, fix your eye sight, and leave me the fuck alone." Orianna grounded out. She was not in the mood for this shit.

"Looks like we got us tough one, niggas. Maybe we should teach her a lesson, huh?" The man to the far left of her said.

"Oh, hell yeah."

"Definitely, homie."

"Can't wait to get me some of that fine ass."

Hearing them agree with their friend made Orianna sick. She knew she couldn't take down all five of them without some type of weapon. She did the only thing she could: she threw her six-pack at them and ran.

"What the-"She heard one of them say.

"Hey, get back here." Another yelled.

She was running as fast as she could. Her feet were pounding on the pavement, her heart was pounding inside of her chest, and her lungs were on fire. She ran at least five blocks with footsteps following behind her before she cut into an alleyway on the right. She jumped over a knocked down trash can that was in the way and looked for a place to hide. Seeing a wall that was covered by the night, she ducked down behind it.

She listened as closely as she could for the men, but didn't hear their footsteps. Being as quick as possible she pulled out her phone. Scrolling through her contacts, she found the number she was looking for.

Still listening for any signs of the gangbangers, she let the phone ring.

"_Hello_." The voice on the other end answered.

"Michael," she breathed, "I need you."

* * *

**Don't hesitate to let me know what you guys think. I hope you enjoyed this. Don't worry, there is more to come. In this chapter I made a reference to a movie; where Lester says "Thank you, Nevaeh," is a reference to the movie _The Score_ with _Robert De Niro_ and _Edward Norton._ If you watch the movie or see this clip, you'll know what I'm talking about.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I hope you guys have been enjoying what you have read so far. I know it's been a while since I updated, so here's a new chapter to ease your worries. Now, I realize that I'm not the best author/writer out there, so I'm pretty sure that someone could have written this a lot better than me; but at least I tried. Don't hesitate to let me know what you guys think.**

* * *

Michael pulled his Tailgater up to the curb, half a block away from the alley that Orianna was hiding in. Even as he turned the engine off, he left his keys dangling in the ignition. Carefully, he reached over the passenger seat to open the glove compartment. Once he had it opened, he took out the handgun and silencer that was resting there.

'_Just in case things get really hairy_.' He thought to himself.

He closed the compartment.

After he checked the street around him, he picked up the weapon and swiftly attached the silencer to it. Then, he exited the vehicle. Walking to the left rear passenger door, he took the silenced pistol and tucked it into the back of his pants. Opening the door to the back seat, he took out the baseball bat that was sitting there. Shutting the door, he quickly searched his surroundings once again. He held the bat behind his back-letting his right leg partially cover it-and began making his way up the street to the alley.

Michael was a third of the way there when he spotted two African-American men, who were wearing purple jackets, ahead of him. They were walking side-by-side and seemed to be in a discussion of some sort. They were talking quietly, so he couldn't make out what they were saying. One of them had turned their heads and looked at him; the conversation seized.

"Well, well, look what we have here, homie." The first one said.

The other looked at him with a slight grin on his face. "Yeah," he spoke, "a _rich_ white man in this neighborhood, homie."

They both took just a few steps closer to Michael.

Michael's eyes flickered between them.

The first man spoke again, "So, Mister rich-white-man," he pulled a switchblade out of his pocket, "how 'bout you," he flipped the blade open, "_give me your money_."

Michael's sharp green eyes narrowed, "How about," he grinned coldly, "you go fuck yourself, _pal_."

The two men chuckled.

Then the man with the knife said, "Nigga, I got a knife, and you wanna tell me to go fuck myself?" He chuckled again, "Nigga, who do ya think you are?"

Michael cocked his eyebrow, "You're right," he agreed, "You do have a knife."

As soon as the words had left his mouth, Michael pulled out his baseball bat and whacked the man in his head. He did the same to the man's friend before he could even make a move. Both of their skulls had cracked, making a crunching sound.

Michael let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and shook his head.

"Idiots." He muttered as he continued up the street, baseball bat in hand.

* * *

Michael was closing in on the alley when he saw a man leaned against the wall in front of it. The man was also wearing a purple jacket and he was texting on his phone.

Suddenly, Michael heard voices coming from within the depths of the alley; but one distinct one caught his attention. It was Orianna's and it had said, "_Let me go_." That's when Michael decided to pick up the pace.

He quickly ran up to the man who was leaning against the wall and bashed him in the head with the bat. The man's phone had shattered to the ground as he fell with a "_thump_."

"D what was that?" He heard a voice say.

"_How_ the fuck should I know, C?" He heard another say.

Michael walked into the alley and looked at the scene before him: one man was behind Orianna, gripping her by the elbows. Another man was in front of her and he was wielding a knife.

Michael spoke up, "Hey, you two purple jacket wearing bozos, why don't you do what the lady says and let her go."

C, the man who had the knife, got into Michael's face and said, "Get the fuck on outta here, old man, before I cut you up."

Michael glanced between C, Orianna, and D. Once his eyes settled back on C and the knife that was cutting the space between them, he had a decision made. Bringing the bat in front of him, he used it to shove the man in front of him to the ground; C, however, did something that Michael hadn't anticipated. C had grabbed the bat and pulled Michael down with him. The bat skidded away.

Orianna and D watched as both men struggled against each other on the ground. Michael had landed a right hook against C's cheek and C kneed Michael in the gut.

Seeing as Michael was about to turn the table and gain an upper hand on C, D decided to take action. D stepped away from Orianna, pulled out a pistol that he had tucked in his pants, and fired a shot in the air.

"Yo, enough, man!" He shouted as both men stopped and stared at him.

D pointed the gun at Michael, "My homie told you to go away and you didn't. I ain't wanted no trouble tonight and now you gon' make me kill your dumb ass 'cause you couldn't mind your own fuckin' business. Why couldn't you just go-"

Orianna tackled D to the ground, knocking the gun out of his hand. Michael took the opening chance and pulled out his own gun. He turned to C and pulled the trigger. C fell with a bullet between the eyes. Michael then turned to point his pistol at where D and Orianna were on the ground.

Orianna was on top of D's torso, switching between both of her fists to repeatedly punch him in the face.

"_Asshole, Asshole, Asshole_," she said over and over again.

Michael quickly pushed himself up to his feet and tucked his weapon into the back of his pants. He jogged over to Orianna.

"Hey, hey, hey," he said, touching Orianna on the shoulder.

Orianna turned her head to look up at Michael. That was the moment when Michael noticed that tears were streaming down her beautiful heart-shaped face.

"Look at him," he pointed to D, whose face was beaten to a bloody pulp, "he's finished, sweetheart."

Orianna let out a shaky breath.

Michael held out his hand to her, "C'mon. Let's get outta here, okay?"

Orianna shook her head and grabbed Michael's hand, pulling herself up.

Michael put his hand on the small of her back, "Let's get you to the car," he said leading her out of the alley. He could feel her entire body shake.

Finally reaching the car, Michael opened the door passenger's side door for Orianna. He then walked over to the driver's side door and climbed in. Looking over at Orianna, he reached out to touch her forearm.

Orianna whipped her head to look at Michael.

"Are you going to be okay?" He asked with concern filling his voice.

"Just get me away from here." She answered.

* * *

Michael had been driving for the last 15 minutes and nothing had been said between him and Orianna. In fact, he would glance at her every couple of seconds out of his peripheral and would see her just blankly stare out the window.

After about another 5 minutes of driving, Orianna finally spoke.

"Michael?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think that I could stay with you for a couple of days?"

Michael glanced over at Orianna for the umpteenth time, "You sure?"

Orianna shook her head, "I just need a place to stay to get my head straight without my cousin being there to ask me questions I'm not willing to answer."

Michael chewed on the inside of his cheek considering Orianna's request.

"Yeah, yeah, sure." He answered.

Suddenly, Orianna's phone went off.

"Speak of the devil." Orianna muttered.

"Hey, Glenn." She answered.

"You haven't come home yet, cuz. Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," she paused for a moment to collect her thoughts, "Look, Glenn, I'm going to stay at a hotel for a couple of days. I just need some time to myself right now, is that okay?"

"Cuz, what's going on?" She could hear how frantic her cousin was.

"Glenn, please, right now is not the time. I just need you to not ask me any questions; I really need to get some things straighten out."

"Cuz-"

"Glenn," she cut him off before he could say anything, "I'll tell you what you want to know when I get back, okay? Is that alright?"

"Fine. Fine." She could hear Glenn move around the room, "You will tell me, cuz. _I mean it_."

"I know, Glenn. I know."

"Goodnight then, cuz." He hung up.

Orianna stuffed the phone back into her pocket.

'_What a great fucking night_.' She thought with sarcasm.

* * *

**So how was this chapter? Did it turn out okay? I hope you guys liked it. The next chapter I will be posting up soon, so please stick around. If there is anything that you would like me to add in upcoming chapters, don't hesitate to tell me what your ideas are. Thank you for reading up to this point, again, there is more to come.**


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